This is a wonderful collection of Cohen's now legendary early work. Drawn from his classic albums Songs Of Leonard Cohen, Songs From A Room, Songs Of Love And Hate and New Skin For The Old Ceremony, these timeless songs have become part of the serious poetic heritage of the English language. I have no favourites here because each and every track is sublime, from the wistful Suzanne to the aching Take This Longing. From the album Songs Of Love and Hate I would have chosen Joan Of Arc, though, instead of Last Year's Man and would also have included The Old Revolution and Tonight Will Be Fine from Songs From A Room. The impact of these timeless songs on popular culture is proved by the many cover versions, of which a few of the best include Rita Coolidge's Bird On A Wire plus The Lilac Time's and the Neville Brothers' version of the same song, Sting & The Chieftains' Sisters Of Mercy, James' cover of So Long Marianne, Geoffrey Oryema, Judy Collins and Nina Simone's very diverse interpretations of Suzanne, and Peter Astor's Take This Longing. Cohen completists would also be interested in The Essential Collection, but note that album does not include Lady Midnight or Last Year's Man. What I found especially impressive on listening to this album again, were the brilliant arrangements and especially the siren-like quality of the female vocals so perfectly framing Cohen's weary voice. These songs just sound better and better as the decades pass.
4.5
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